BT confirms traditional landlines will be 'switched off' for 619,000 more homes in UK, is YOURS on the list?

The decision will impact all broadband providers that rely on internet infrastructure owned and operated by Openreach, including the likes of BT, EE, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone, and Plusnet, to name just a few. These brands will no longer offer traditional landlines in areas served by these 112 Openreach-managed exchanges.

• Lifeline for Sky Q and Freesat viewers as satellite dishes won't stop working in 2029

Openreach only issues a Stop Sell order when a majority of premises connected to a particular exchange can switch to the newest full-fibre broadband. If over 75% of postcodes can use this future-proofed connection, Openreach will block broadband brands like EE, BT, TalkTalk, Vodafone from offering traditional landlines when Britons living in the affected area want to switch, upgrade or renegotiate a broadband or phone service.

BT-owned Openreach maintains the biggest broadband network in the UK, with 99% of all properties connected to its traditional copper-based landline or newer full-fibre connections. If you've seen one of these green street cabinets on your street, these boxes were traditionally used to store broadband and phone cabling | GETTY IMAGES

By November 5, these Stop Sell rules will have been activated in some 1,663 exchanges across the UK, impacting around 16.4 million premises. That means properties served by these exchanges have access to full-fibre broadband, which Openreach is on track to roll out to 25 million homes and businesses by the end of this year.

That's roughly 7 out of 10 properties in the UK. But that isn't the end of the systematic upgrade, with Openreach planning to reach 30 million premises by the end of the decade. You'll need to be connected to this future-proofed full-fibre connection to ditch the traditional copper phone line in favour of the newer, all-digital alternative.

There are several benefits to switching to broadband-powered landlines, sometimes referred to as Digital Voice by broadband suppliers. These new landlines rely on Voice Over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, to connect your calls.

If you’ve ever made a call over Wi-Fi or 5G to friends or family using WhatsApp, Skype, or Messenger, then you’re already familiar with VoIP technology. It enables several new features, like the ability to call multiple people at the same time, better call quality, the ability to block numbers, and incoming spam prevention.

In the first five months of being operational, BT says its VoIP system blocked 17.7 million spam calls.

BT, Virgin Media, and TalkTalk refer to this internet-powered landline as “Digital Voice”, but depending on your provider, they might use a different term.

If you're not (yet) able to get fast full-fibre broadband at your home address, you won't be impacted by this new "stop sell" order. You'll be able to continue using traditional copper-based landlines for now.

Digital Voice handsets, pictured here, connect to the back of the Wi-Fi router supplied by your broadband provider and route calls over the internet — not a traditional phone line | BT PRESS OFFICE

These phone lines, known as PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) in industry lingo, have served as the backbone of communication across the UK in some form or another for well over 100 years. However, those who rely on these ageing landlines are quickly becoming a minority — and costs for telecom brands to connect your house to these older phone lines have doubled.

The deadline is currently set for January 31, 2027, which was delayed from the original cut-off.

If your property is connected to any of the 1,663 Openreach exchanges, but not yet able to get the next-generation full-fibre broadband, you won't be impacted and can stick to the existing copper-based service until the bolstered internet connection does become available.

Openreach Managed Customer Migrations Director, James Lilley told GB News: "Our stop sell programme is a key step in accelerating the UK’s move to a full fibre future. As ageing copper networks become less able to meet modern communications needs, our focus is on helping customers move to faster, more reliable digital technologies.

"Retiring legacy copper services where fibre is widely available will support the industry-wide migration to modern networks, reduce the cost and complexity of maintaining old and new infrastructure side by side, and help ensure customers are ready for the closure of the PSTN in less than four months’ time, when everyone will need a digital phone service."

Unsure if your address has been connected yet? Openreach offers an online postcode checker to see if you can already order a Full Fibre service, or you can check by contacting your service provider.